Zweli Mkhize’s house raided by police investigating political killings

The task team investigating political killings in KZN has raided Zweli Mkhize’s home, The Witness has reported.

The raid reportedly took place on September 28 but has been kept quiet.

The operation is believed to be part of an investigation into the role of private security companies in the scourge of political assassinations that have gripped the province.

An anonymous source has since contacted The Citizen with unconfirmed reports that the raid led to the arrest of Siya Mkhize, the minister’s nephew, as well as two security guards.

The case allegedly involves a security company the younger Mkhize owns and guns that have been used in murder cases, which were allegedly confiscated. The source said that Mkhize was granted bail on Monday.

The Citizen asked Mkhize’s spokesperson, Musa Zondi, if he could confirm the arrest of Siya Mkhize.

“I don’t know who Siya Mkhiza is. I don’t speak on his behalf, I am only the spokesperson for Dr Zweli Mkhize,” Zondi said.

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“All I can tell you is what I’ve already said. There was no raid on the house. What the police are chasing is allegations that some guns have been used and they are investigating the security company,” he continued.

This is consistent with Zondi’s comments in The Witness. He told the publication that the police did indeed visit Mkhize’s home but that he does not consider it a “raid”.

A neighbour reported that the police came in a large convoy of roughly ten vehicles. The minister was, apparently, not at home at the time.

“The issue of killings in the province is serious and needs to be dealt with and he fully supports anything the police are doing to arrest the scourge,” Zondi said.

The Pietermaritzburg home of education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwane was also reportedly raided.

A spate of killings believed to be politically motivated led to the establishment of a commission in October 2016 by KwaZulu-Natal premier Willies Mchunu.

The commission investigated killings that took place in the province between 2011 and 2017 and has continued looking into the situation, which does not seem to be improving.

During a media briefing held last month, the commission in question, dubbed the Moerane commission, released the findings of their report which found that the tender system was the root cause for most of the political killings in the province.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman. Additional reporting by Kaunda Selisho)

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